For anyone who believed that
Travis Tritt injected too much R&B into his country, CMH has the perfect solution: nine instrumental versions of
Tritt's songs that embrace country roots. Sounding like the perfect movie soundtrack for the country superstar's life story,
Pickin' on Travis Tritt delivers renditions of "Country Club," "It's a Great Day to Be Alive," and, of course, "T-R-O-U-B-L-E." Whereas a number of arrangements on previous CMH collections have concentrated on guitar, banjo, and mandolins, this collection provides the right country twang by adding lots of dobro and pedal steel. One original track, "Macon to Marietta," even includes a vocal by Wayne Mills, a real rarity in the
Pickin' On series. The true
Tritt fan may prefer the real thing, but even the dyed-in-the-wool fan needs a little Muzak, country style, every now and then. While few sparks fly, the musicians do a competent job reproducing these songs. Barry Waldrep is a good guitarist and Craig Eastman a fine fiddler, and the arrangements vary enough to keep the material interesting. The only real problem with
Pickin' on Travis Tritt is that the album only lasts 32 minutes. This aside, the album will provide satisfying background music for the fan who can't get enough of
Tritt's music. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford Jr.